Volume 1 Issue 2
Leviton Accenti Dimmers 
Due to the demand on our electrical utilities in California we are imposed with such programs as the California Energy Commissions (CEC) title 24 energy efficiency standards. As of October 1st 2005 those standards are to be updated. On their web site you can find miles of text and pages related to these standards, however I think their summary (see side bar links – page 35) is the best overview.
Basically what we’ll effectively be doing is more electronic ballast fluorescent fixtures in the Kitchens and motion sensors and dimmers in most other rooms. Please be sure to see the supporting links for more detailed information.
I think we can all appreciate the need to conserve energy, however some of the standards they have seem a little extreme. In particular requiring high efficacy lighting to the extent called out in residential Kitchens. They call out high efficacy and define it as well but realistically this means electronic ballast fluorescent lights totaling no less than 50% of the kitchens lamp wattage.
You can almost count on some revisions to this latest version of title 24. One thing you’ll more than likely see is an amendment to the bathroom requirements. As it reads now it implies you can do without high efficacy (fluorescent) if you use a compliant motion sensor. Rumor has it this was an oversight of the commission.
One last note, you’ll be seeing a lot of company’s pamphlets on title 24. Most of which will emphasize their products or recommend them were they may not be needed. So please read carefully and do visit the CEC’s website for all the details on title 24.
Leviton:
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New Accenti product line of Dimmers Switches Receptacles and various supporting equipment. These products do not interchange with decora, however provide a stylish alternative with no gaps between multi-gang installations and screwless plates. As well as Blue LED indicating lights on the switches and Dimmers.
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New to some of you: Leviton Power Jack provides a flush mounted multi-volt transformer for wall hanging phones. This cleans up the wall a bit allowing you to eliminate the plug in transformer that comes with many wall mount cordless phones. This mounts in a standard gang box requiring 120vac power and brings in the phone cable around the box.
Lutron:
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Maestro IR replaces (re-names) Spacer IR controlled Dimmers. They also replace the old hand held remote with one that has 1 preset scene button. So can turn it on/off and dim as well as recall that favorite scene. The name change is mainly to lessen the confusion between ‘Spacer (SP)’ and ‘Spacer System (SPS)’. For those of you that aren’t familiar with them Maestro IR gives you IR control of that one circuit, and Spacer System allows for IR control of several circuits. Some of our customers refer to the Spacer System as the “poor mans Grafik Eye” as it has much of the same features and functionality as Grafik Eye.
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RadioRa line expanding to include a network interface so you may control your RA system from any browser enabled device like some PDA, notebooks, tablets, etc… This Item should be shipping soon.
It seems some of our customers are just now learning about Arc Fault Protection. This began as a requirement in our neck of the woods about a year or so ago and the requirement was for bedroom outlets only. Now, I’ve been told, it has been expanded to any bedroom circuit (lighting, smoke detectors, etc.). Don’t find out the hard way, these devices are upwards of $40 (S.P.) and look / wire much like a GFCI breaker. You’ll also have some trouble sharing neutrals with these types of breakers. We stock romex (12/2-2 & 14/2-2) with an extra neutral for you, however, depending on current wire prices it isn’t much cheaper than just running two runs of regular 2 wire romex where needed. Murray also offers a 2pole AFCI breaker for their panels if you have a shared neutral. As for the questions of what they do or if they work, well I’ll just say its intention is for safety and if it saves a life or a home it’s well worth the money. It is supposed to detect a specific type of arc; so normal arcing from appliance loads shouldn’t affect it. Testing these circuits requires a specific tester or some companies also sell an AFCI tripper. See the side bar links for product information. We’ll have these testers / trippers available soon.
It’s often a surprise to us that most of our Internet business seems to be on the East Coast. However we come about it we appreciate it and do our best to accommodate all of you the best we can. The news herein reflects a lot of our local requirements and codes however your local codes may be more or less strict. Whatever the case we always recommend checking with a qualified electrician or your local inspector if you are not familiar with electricity or proper methods of electrical connectivity and protection. As always, We’ll answer any questions we can for you…
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